Chatting with a baker friend made me question my whole approach to salt

I was having a beer with a buddy who runs a small sourdough place, and he mentioned he adds a pinch of salt to his caramelizing onions. I laughed and said that's a waste, but he explained it draws out moisture faster so they brown without burning, not just seasons them. I tried it the next day on a batch for a French onion soup special, and sure enough, they were perfect in about 20 minutes instead of my usual 45. It's one of those tiny things you never think to question after culinary school. Now I'm looking at every prep step wondering what other 'rules' I'm just following out of habit. What's a simple kitchen trick you learned from someone in a totally different part of the food world?

3 comments

3 Comments

kai83918d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you were caramelizing onions for 45 minutes before? I mean, that's so long, I'd just give up and order pizza. The salt trick cuts the time in half, which is a huge win for a weeknight. Maybe it's just me but I can't go back now.

morgan_stone3318d ago

Oh come on, that's just making extra work. I've been caramelizing onions for years without salt and they turn out fine. Sometimes the old way is just the right way.

dylanwells18d ago

Yeah, that salt trick is a total game changer for busy kitchens. Try it once and you'll never go back to watching onions for an hour again.